ABSTRACT
Face-to-face and out-of-class tandem challenges the supervision of authorities, who are normally unwilling to grant academic credits to activities outside their control. This is why tandem is frequently considered a complementary activity, and institutions are reluctant to include it in the academic agenda as a regular (official) course. If the learner plans his/her objectives and the model is ipsative, academic administrators cannot measure the different levels of knowledge to justify either a homogenous learning process or the achievement of a pre-established amount of knowledge and competences. Paradoxically, however, they demand individualized teaching in the classroom. The model proposed here, built on autonomy, reciprocity and authenticity, recommends a coherent and consistent set of surveys to help self-, peer- and tutor-assessments coexist in a reasonably balanced equilibrium, while it ensures control of the student pair at a distance. If the model works, and is adopted (although adaptations are expected), perhaps higher and even secondary education institutions could begin to acknowledge tandem as a valid methodology worth implementing as part of the regular curriculum.
